It's been about a year in the making -- I'm happy to share that I'll be documenting the good things happening at Boys Hope Girls Hope Baltimore in 2016. Last week I visited both homes and I'm really looking forward to meeting all of the kids and helping to tell their stories. When I do this sort of work, I truly feel the impact of photography...and my heart beats a little stronger. Stay tuned...

Today I had an opportunity to get my hands on the new Leica Q. I really wanted to get it out and put it through the paces on a family shoot that I had in the afternoon...but the DC store only had 1 on display.

I'm not a technical guy, so my apologies for the brevity. Here are my first impressions...

Solid build. It's what you come to expect from Leica. The Q does not disappoint. It feels good in the hand and for me....just right. It's slightly larger than the Fuji X-100T. There was no strap on this demo unit, but I didn't feel apprehensive holding it. It's not as slippery as I've heard others reviewers mention...although I would prefer some sort of leatherette/rough finish. The built in notch for your thumb rest is a nice touch. Later, I tried the optional hand grip and it definitely made the camera 'fit' and feel that much more solid -- note, using this grip does cover the battery/flash card.

The shutter is very discreet/quiet -- you're in stealth mode at all times.

Auto-focus is probably the fastest and most accurate (of any mirrorless camera) that I have tried. I took a few shots inside (which was on the dark side) and didn't have any issues locking in. ISO performance, while better than other Leicas than I have tried, begins to introduce grain earlier than I would like (around 800)...but honestly the jury is still out for me -- I need more time with it. I left the camera on AUTO ISO for the duration of my time with it.

Outside, colors popped. The 28mm focal length seemed right and I wasn't disappointed with distortion.

I didn't really have (or take the) time to go through menus and other features. Those sorts of things are meant for a rainy day. For me, it's more about how the camera feels in my hand. This one got out of my way and made me want to shoot it. It feels like the Leica I've always wanted...

...but I definitely need more time with it. Stay tuned.

Special thanks to Aziz Yazdani for taking the time to show me the camera and allowing me to take a few photos of him.